With the rise of physician burnout in the wake of the pandemic and ongoing Health Human Resources (HHR) challenges, physicians in Canada are increasingly adopting electronic tools to alleviate unnecessary clinical burdens, building a more Connected Care system.

The 2024 National Survey of Canadian Physicians, led in partnership by Canada Health ​Infoway (Infoway) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), and conducted by Leger, aimed to explore and track physicians’ perspectives on the use and impact of digital health information technologies in practice. The survey​ reveals nearly all (95%) physicians surveyed use electronic records to enter and retrieve clinical patient notes – a significant increase compared to 87% in 2021, 82% in 2017, and 39% in 2010.

Additional survey findings include:

• Four in five physicians surveyed say they do not use paper for documenting patient information. Instead, they rely on an electronic system(s) to document patient information.

• Nearly all (87 %) physicians report barrier(s) that prevent them from accessing, using, or getting full value from digital health technologies.​

• Nearly half (44 %) of physicians surveyed feel burned out to some extent, with five per cent completely burned out.​

• Nearly 7 in 10 (68 %) physicians say they spent 1 hour more beyond what they feel should be spent looking for patient information needed to provide care, with over a third (35 per cent) saying they spend 2 hours or more.
• Of physicians surveyed, 7% say they use artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning in their main practice to support patient care. This is a noticeable increase compared to 2% in 2021.   

The data paints a clear picture: Physicians across Canada are actively adopting digital health tools, but there is still significant work needed to ensure these tools truly enhance care delivery. Effective integration and interoperability are essential to reducing administrative burdens, allowing physicians to focus on delivering high-quality patient care.